United’s January plan for midfield reinforcements takes a hit | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim had demanded Manchester United co-owners INEOS to bring in a new defensive midfielder in the summer. The current season has shown exactly why such a demand was put forth.

Casemiro, who has regained his mojo under the head coach, is currently one of the first names on the team-sheet. While he has started all but three games this season, he has completed 90 minutes only once.

He is 33, and with his contract up in the summer, the Red Devils need a long-term replacement. Manuel Ugarte was signed in 2024 with that express purpose in mind.

However, the Uruguayan has been a major disappointment and not even his former Sporting CP boss’ arrival has changed his luck. It is clear that United need someone better.

United’s current midfield options not good enough

The Portuguese tactician had identified Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Hove Albion as the perfect addition for his system in the summer but INEOS failed to get the deal over the line.

Since then, the Cameroonian’s form has taken a nosedive. As a result of which, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest have overtaken Baleba on United’s wishlist.

All three will likely cost more than £100 million in January as their parent clubs will not want to let go of their stars mid-season, hence the inflated asking price.

And as per Football Insider, this all but rules out United’s chances of landing any of their top midfield targets during the winter window.

“There’s a long list of midfielders that Manchester United are being linked with right now. We know the centre of midfield is a primary position for Ruben Amorim.

“The likes of Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba are on Amorim’s shortlist, but could be priced out of moves away. Palace are demanding £100 million to sell Wharton, while both Anderson and Baleba will be priced similarly.

Midfield recruitment plan suffers blow

“They’ll probably have to wait until next summer, it seems unlikely that they will be able to bring in those top midfield targets in the January window.

“Being proven in the Premier League is a key thing for Man United right now, they want players to come in and hit the ground running like Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have.

“The problem with that is, most Premier League sides aren’t going to be willing to let players go in January unless it’s for an inflated transfer fee.”

Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher or Ruben Neves of Al-Hilal could be short-term options given their past exploits in the English top-flight. Whether INEOS will head in that direction only time will tell.

Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images

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